The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb

I love reading a good nonfiction book about a topic that is new to me. I vaguely knew that a lot of Nazi war criminals escaped to Argentina, but I had never heard the story of how Israeli spies tracked down the notorious Adolf Eichmann and brought him to trial in Israel. Eichmann was the head of the SS during World War II. It was his job to carry out Hitler's plan to exterminate the Jews. He was a powerful and arrogant man during the Holocaust, but he disappeared in 1945 when Germany lost the war. Years later, most of the world had given up and tracking down Nazi criminals, but many Holocaust survivors and people living in Israel still wanted to bring public justice to the worst perpetrators of the genocide. Amazingly enough, Eichmann was first discovered to be living in Argentina by a teenage girl and her blind father. It took several years for officials to believe their story and for Israeli spies to devise the elaborate plan to capture Eichmann, hold him as a secret captive in Argentina, and fly him to Israel—all without the Argentine government finding out anything. The details of how the capture was made are fascinating. This makes for great reading, especially for fans of history and spy books.

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

I love historical fiction and particularly enjoyed Elizabeth Wein's previous book, Code Name Verity. This follow-up book, which isn't a sequel but shares one character, was also a great read. Rose is a young American pilot working in Britain during World War II. She longs to fly to Europe instead of ferrying airplanes around the UK. On her first chance things go wrong and she is captured and sent to Ravensbrück, a women's concentration camp that I knew nothing about before reading this book. While there she is taken in by a group of women called the "rabbits" because they were the subjects of horrific medical experiments done by Nazi doctors. The whole concentration camp experience is awful, as you can imagine, but this book is so full of humor and humanity and daring that it is inspiring rather than depressing. I appreciated that the book did not end in the camps, rather it went on to show the aftermath for those who survived. This is a book about friendship and the power it can have to overcome the worst circumstances in the world. The best part of the book for me? Rose is also a poet who loves the poems of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Millay's poems are interwoven throughout the text as are poems that Rose writes. Elizabeth Wein, a pilot herself, is an outstanding writer and this is a must-read for historical fiction lovers. My review isn't going this book justice, so please see this review of Rose Under Fire as well.

The Language Inside by Holly Thompson

Emma is an American teenager who has grown up in Japan. When her mom needs breast cancer treatment, Emma is uprooted and brought to Massachusetts to live with grandparents. This free verse novel explores Emma's reverse culture shock as she adjusts to life in the United States. Emma is a girl who wants to help others—she is torn by the fact that she cannot be in Japan helping victims of the recent tsunami even though she knows she needs to be with her mother during her treatments. She signs up to volunteer at a nursing home and is paired with a stroke victim with whom she writes poetry. At the nursing home she also meets a Cambodian immigrant named Samnang who becomes a friend and a possible love interest, and through him she finds a way to contribute to relief efforts in Japan. While it seems like this book might have too much going on, it's really a quiet, reflective book about a year in the life of an sensitive and introspective teenage girl. I enjoyed it a lot and passed it on to Ms. Chapman, the teacher with whom I traveled to Cambodia this summer. It will especially appeal to readers who are interested in Japanese or Cambodian culture.

To Be Perfectly Honest by Sonya Sones

To be perfectly honest, I didn't really like this book. I have liked Sonya Sones' books in the past but this one is short on characterization. The main character, Colette, is the 15-year-old daughter of a famous movie star who is neglected by her mom most of the time. She lies all the time about both big and small things (and to her credit she knows this—in fact, she tells you she is an unreliable narrator). In this story she and her younger brother, Will, are living in a hotel pretty much on their own while their mom is filming a movie. Colette meets a somewhat older boy who seems interested in her and doesn't know she is the daughter of a movie star. I didn't see much reason for her to be in love with Connor except that he drives a motorcycle and is handsome. I also didn't see much motivation for Connor to be interested in Colette, but the book is full of her romantic dreams and their encounters, and his attempts to go farther with her than she is ready to go. It's also a little creepy because we know all along that he is 18 and she is underage (and Colette's mom doesn't seem to care). Then (spoiler alert) he tells her his deep dark secret which only makes her love him more but then turns out to be a lie. Colette's mom doesn't seem so bad in the end and Colette learns a valuable life lesson. I don't think high school students would buy this story—it's just a little too predictable and trite, but due to the sexual issues explored here I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers. (And that little brother's lisp was really annoying.)

Three Books that Made Me Cry

This summer I read (and re-read) three books that made me cry. Read about them here at my Dashing and Bold Library blog.

Torn by David Massey

This is an interesting story and a welcome departure from all the dystopian YA books being published recently. It's the story of Elinor, a young British medic who is sent to a war zone in Afghanistan for her first military assignment. She immediately is placed on life-threatening patrols where at any moment her squad could be killed by insurgent explosive devices. She also very quickly is drawn into a mystery—why are Afghani children fighting against the British troops as well as the Taliban, and who is the mysterious girl with green eyes who appears whenever someone is in mortal danger? American Navy SEALS join the British troops and together they go deep into Afghanistan on a mission to find hidden weapons, investigate the warring children, and find a missing child. I liked Ellie and her British comrades and having a glimpse into the war in Afghanistan. The plot (and the romance) may have been a bit contrived, but it's a book that held my interest all the way through and I think some teens (8th grade and up) will enjoy.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

I'm sure this is going to be the hot book of the school year among 7th-12th graders. There are many dystopian novels coming out these days, and this one stands out. People my age remember the movie ET, when a cute little alien ended up stranded on earth. This alien invasion is nothing like that. The Others have swiftly wiped out most of the earth's human population without ever landing on earth or being seen. In the third wave most people died of an ebola-like disease, but sixteen-year-old Cassie and her father and brother survived. Now after the 4th wave, Cassie is on her own and she is convinced that it's the only way to survive. She doesn't choose companionship, but after being shot in the leg she is rescued by a young man named Evan. She's not sure whether to trust him or not, and she is determined to get well enough to set off toward the military compound that houses her younger brother, Sammy. There's lots of action, violence, and constant uncertainty about who is good and who is bad. This one keeps you on the edge of your seat. I definitely rank it up there with the two biggies of dystopian YA fiction, The Hunger Games and Divergent.

Discovering Wes Moore by Wes Moore

This autobiography of a man named Wes Moore has an interesting twist. While it is mainly the story of the author's life and the circumstances that led him from a life on the streets to a successful military career and a Rhodes scholarship, it is also the story of another man named Wes Moore who grew up under similar circumstances but ended up imprisoned. The author's story is compelling by itself—he lost his father at age three and his mother struggled and sacrificed to keep him on the right track. The other Wes Moore's story gets less time in the book—he lived in the same Baltimore neighborhood, but fathered several children at a young age, got into drugs and crime, and was arrested for his part in the murder of a police officer. The two Wes Moores have become friends and the author's point is to show how fine the line is between their two lives. He credits many people with watching out for him, caring about his future, and holding up high expectations for his behavior and education. This is the young people's version of the same story by the same author. Unfortunately, it felt too simplified to me. While I like the story I think that even middle or high school kids would be able to handle more depth and complexity. However, this may appeal to kids who will see themselves in the two Wes Moores. I think it would be best received by middle schoolers—and it would certainly be a good choice for a biography assignment.

Far, Far Away by Tom McNeal

The best part of this fairy tale-ish book is that the narrator is the long-dead ghost of Jacob Grimm. He is wandering the world trying to finish some unknown task. He has latched onto the only human he has ever found that can hear his voice—a boy named Jeremy Johnson Johnson. Jeremy's mother, long gone now, left him with a love of fairy tales. Jeremy's grandfather, now deceased, left him with a small bookstore that makes no money. Jeremy's father lays in bed all day watching TV. At times it seems that the ghost of Jacob Grimm is Jeremy's best friend. He even helps Jeremy try to earn some money on a local game show. Things change when a wild-haired girl named Ginger includes him in her schemes and befriends him. Unfortunately she leads him into trouble with the town baker who becomes an integral part of the story. What happens next is dark and disturbing and very much like a Grimm Fairy Tale. This book is intelligent, haunting, and unique. I would recommend it to readers from 7th grade through adults, especially those who like variations on fairy tales.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

This is a book for kids who like puzzles and games. It's also clearly a book for those who love libraries and the Dewey decimal system. Alexandriaville has a brand new and mysterious public library designed by the world's premiere game maker, and a group of kids is selected to spend the night there. What they don't realize is that they are part of an elaborate puzzle, and the real trick will be figuring out how to escape from the library. The main character is Kyle and readers will be rooting for him and his team the whole way through. There are obvious similarities to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but in this book the kids are solving puzzles and following clues that the reader can join in with. It's a little hard to keep track of all the kids and sometimes the dialogue between them is a little stilted, but the puzzles are good and my third grader was hanging on every word as we read this one aloud. Luigi Lemoncello and the head librarian mention many, many children's books and it would be great fun to read this to a class of kids and introduce them to all the books and authors that are mentioned, sometimes overtly and sometimes subtly. This is recommended for 3rd-6th graders and all children's librarians.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Conor's mother is dying from cancer and he is having a recurring nightmare every night. A nightmare that he can't tell anyone about. But one night after midnight a monster shows up. It originates from the yew tree behind his house, but this monster is able to walk. It's also able to talk and tell stories and it demands the truth. Conor thinks it can't be real but how else could he explain the leaves of the yew tree strewn about his floor in the morning and the destruction that the monster can cause? Conor's grandma is called in to take care of him when his mother is hospitalized. His estranged father also comes to visit from America. But Conor is essentially alone with his fear about the bleak future of his mother. It doesn't help that he is bullied at school and at odds with his former best friend. Patrick Ness is a fabulous writer and in his hands this story is compelling, creepy, and so, so emotionally true. Perhaps because I lost my mother to cancer I especially relate to Conor's emotional journey. I'm not going to lie to you, the end of this book will break your heart. Recommended for older middle school readers through adults.

Ship Out of Luck by Neal Shusterman

I am a huge Neal Shusterman fan and I especially love his books about Antsy Bonano (The Schwa Was Here and Antsy Does Time). So of course I read this the minute I saw it at The Little Shop of Stories. It did not disappoint. Antsy Bonano is a teenage boy with a fantastic first-person voice. He's awkward, hilarious, and usually good-hearted. He always manages to turn believably introspective (without being preachy), which makes his stories more substantive than they appear at first glance. This time Mr. Crawley takes Antsy's family on a luxury cruise and Antsy meets up with a cute stowaway who involves him in a majorly illegal scheme to help some people in need. Antsy doesn't intend to become an international criminal and YouTube sensation, but it happens. His friends Lexie and Howie are also there, and having some life-changing experiences of their own that all come together in the end. It's not necessary to read the other Antsy books (but I highly highly recommend reading Antsy Does Time because it is such a fantastic read). Ship Out of Luck is a thoroughly enjoyable and recommended to 7th-10th graders.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

I have to admit that I tend to like sweet romance novels, and this one totally satisfied my summer romance needs. It's your basic romantic comedy for teenagers. The young couple "meets cute" via an accidental e-mail about feeding a pet pig. They connect and continue to e-mail each other for several months, never even asking each other's names. Graham happens to be a 17-year-old Hollywood superstar and Ellie is a girl with a secret who lives in the "middle-of-nowhere" Maine. Graham manages to discover the name of the town where Ellie lives and maneuvers to make it his next movie location. He shows up in the town and goes right to the ice cream shop where he knows his mysterious friend works, hoping to finally meet her. From there you will have to read their story. Definitely fluffy and fun–and totally appropriate for middle and high school readers.

Athlete vs. Mathlete by W.C. Mack

This is the story of Evan and Russell, fraternal twins who never had much in common. Evan is a basketball player and Russell is a smart, nerdy guy on school's academic team. But when the new basketball coach asks Russell to try out for the team (only because he's really tall), the brothers come into competition with each other. This is a quick, easy-to-read sports story that will appeal to 3rd-6th grade boys. It's fast-moving and full of dialogue. As an adult reader I thought it was a little trite, but younger boys will love it (my own 8-year-old couldn't wait to finish it and will be reading the sequel).

My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt

This spare, sometimes cryptic book tells the story of a girl named Angel who is a victim of human trafficking. A man named Call befriends her, says he loves her, gives her cocaine, and then forces her into a life of prostitution. Angel's only friend, Serena, disappears and she is on her own. Writing down her story in her "book of life" is the one thing that keeps her alive. But then Call brings in a little girl named Melli and Angel  finds it in herself to try to protect Melli from the life she is living. This book is well-written and poetic, but is a tough story to read. It's haunting and sad and gives you a glimpse into the harsh reality of girls who are trafficked. Recommended for high school readers.